1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display apparatus including a display area which is formed as an animation display area and a picture-character display area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there are various kinds of portable electronic equipment, such as an electronic notebook and a portable phone, in which a liquid crystal is used as a display apparatus. In the display apparatus, one or more picture characters indicating, for example, use state of a battery, alarm of clock, etc., are always displayed on the picture-character display area. Particularly, these picture-characters are always watched and are indispensable in an actual use of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
On the other hand, there is a liquid crystal display apparatus in which the animation display area and the picture-character display area are arranged on the same one display area in order to realize low cost and to reduce the size of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-34952 (JPP-6-34952), a common driver and a data driver, which are particularly used for displaying picture-characters, are provided for driving only the picture-characters separately from the animation display area.
Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-54639 (JPP-8-54639), a data driver for animation and another data driver for picture-characters are arranged on the same direction based on improved wiring patterns of electrodes in order to realize a saving of space.
There is a problem, however, in the above conventional arts in which a segment drive circuit and common drive circuit, which are particularly used for the picture-character, are always provided for the picture-character so that a size of the apparatus and production cost thereof are increased.
The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus which can realize low cost and space saving by utilizing a part of the output terminals of the data driver in order to display the picture-characters.
In accordance with the present invention, there is a liquid crystal display apparatus including a scan substrate for mounting a scan circuit, a data substrate for mounting a data circuit, an animation display area formed by liquid crystal provided between the scan substrate and the data substrate for displaying an animation, and a picture-character display area formed by the liquid crystal for displaying picture-characters, characterized in that;
the animation display area is driven and displayed with time-sharing in accordance with scan signals which are applied to scan electrodes formed on the scan substrate and output from the scan circuit, and data signals which are applied to data electrodes formed on the data substrate and output from the data circuit; and
the picture-character area is driven and displayed in accordance with data signals which are applied to data picture-character electrodes formed on the data substrate and output from the data circuit, and data signals which are applied to scan picture-character electrodes formed on the scan substrate and output from the data circuit.
In a preferred embodiment, the data signals which are applied to the data picture-character electrodes and output from the data circuit, are changed to a predetermined waveform so that the picture-characters are displayed with half-tones.
In another preferred embodiment, the data signals which are applied to the scan picture-character electrodes and output from the data circuit, are changed to predetermined a waveform so that the picture-characters are displayed with half-tones.
In still another preferred embodiment, a predetermined resistance is formed on the data picture-character electrode so that the picture-characters are displayed with half-tones.
In still another preferred embodiment, a predetermined resistance is formed on the scan picture-character electrode so that the picture-characters are displayed with half-tones.
In still another preferred embodiment, opposite electrodes for deriving data signals, which are applied to the scan picture-character electrodes and output from the data circuit, to the scan circuit, are formed on the data substrate; and electrodes for scan signals which are input to the scan circuit, electrodes for data signals which are input to the data circuit, and electrodes for input signals which are input to the scan circuit, are provided on an one-faced wiring flexible printed-circuit (FPC) board.
In the present invention, as explained in detail below, an output of the data driver is connected to a picture-character opposite electrode which is an opposite electrode of the picture-character area on the opposite substrate, by using, for example, a flexible printed-circuit (FPC) board. Further, the output of the data driver is connected to the picture-character electrode.
When a phase of the waveform between the picture-character electrode and the picture-character opposite electrode is different from each other, the picture-characters are displayed. On the other hand, when the phases of the waveforms of the picture-character electrode and the picture-character opposite electrode are the same, the picture-characters are not displayed. In this case, the picture-characters are displayed statically and independently from a display of the animation.